Umpire Jim Joyce deserves credit for 'fessing up

Lets hear it for Irish American umpire Jim Joyce who freely admitted he had blown a call in the bottom of the ninth costing Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Gallargo a perfect game.

It is so unusual in this day of massive egos and nitpicking to see a guy come right out and admit his worse mistake in his professional career.

Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians was out by at least a step but somehow Joyce,who has been one of the top umpires in baseball for many years, missed the obvious.

No one else did and television replay proved the angry fans and Tiger teammates right.

Joyce never argued he had been right however. He manned up and confessed his mistake. He didn't blame anyone else, didn't try and make it all seem not his fault.

For that he deserves our thanks and credit.

It also makes it clear that Major League baseball has to have an instant replay mechanism when history is on the line. The Tigers pitcher deserved better,too.Tigers' color commentators said that "The Tigers' fans have been cheated out of the greatest pitching experience in Tiger history."

Joyce frankly admitted he made a mistake: "I just cost the kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw until I saw the replay. It was the biggest call of my career."